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The RUSH story started almost 40 years ago. Over this time span RUSH changed their style of music dramatically, yet they continued to produce music and tour extensively.
The original band back in the late sixties had Jeff Jones on bass and vocals, John Rutsey on the skins and Alex Zivojinovich, better known as Alex Lifeson, on guitars.
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After a few setbacks, name and line up changes, the recording of a Buddy Holly song and the creation of their own record label, RUSH MKI was finally born, with Geddy Lee (Gary Lee Weinrib) taking over the bass and lead vocal roles, joining Alex Lifeson and John Rutsey to record their first, self-titled album in 1974. Later that year, John Rutsey and RUSH parted ways, opening the door for the legendary Neil Peart to assume the role of skin master and chief lyricist. RUSH MKII was born and the line up hasn't changed to this day.
The RUSH sound progressed from the early zeppelinesque riffs and vocal wails to a more mature and conceptual, almost rock opera style on the much-lauded 2112 opus, their second highest selling album of all time. However, it wasn't until 1981's Moving Pictures that RUSH received their well-deserved mainstream commercial success. Moving Pictures achieved quadruple platinum status in the US alone with Tom Sawyer becoming their most successful and well-known song.
RUSH continued to release their own brand of unique, progressive rock albums, touring extensively after each and playing to sell-out crowds all over North America and Europe, amassing record sales of 35 million plus in the US alone, placing them fifth, behind The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, KISS and Aerosmith for the most consecutive gold and platinum albums by a rock band.
Sadly, tragedy struck the band in 1997 with the death of Neil Peart's daughter Selina in a car accident, followed by his wife Jacqueline's death from cancer the following year.
RUSH was in hiatus and many wondered if they would ever record or tour again. It would be another four years before an invigorated RUSH returned with Vapor Trails and an extensive tour, which saw them play to crowds of 40,000 plus in Rio, the final concert recorded and filmed for the magnificent Rush In Rio CDs and DVD.
In 2005, the Rush R30 Anniversary DVD was released, recreating the band's magical stage presence in all its widescreen glory. RUSH continued their DVD success with Rush Replay x 3, consisting of three vintage concert movies filmed in the 1980s. Alex Lifeson remixed the soundtracks in 5.1 Surround Sound. Replay debuted in the number one position on the Billboard Music Video charts, marking the third consecutive time a Rush DVD has topped the music video charts.
The eagerly awaited Snakes & Arrows, their 19th studio album, was officially released on May 1 2007 to rave reviews. As the tour continued, plans for a new leg in 2008 along with a live recording were announced. Snakes & Arrows Live, a 2 CD set, was released on April 15th 2008.
John Rutsey, RUSH's original drummer, sadly lost his battle with Diabetes and passed away on May 11th 2008, aged 55.
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